Fueling Champions Since 1924, Wheaties will Reveal Evolution in September
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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – MINNEAPOLIS — Born out of a fortunate mistake in 1924, Wheaties was created when a health clinician accidentally spilled a wheat bran mixture onto a hot stove. The result was tasty, crispy wheat flakes that became known as Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes. A year later, the cumbersome name was shortened to Wheaties. Since this humble beginning, the whole-grain cereal has fueled champions and honored some of the greatest athletes of all time, including Walter Payton, Mary Lou Retton, Bruce Jenner, Bob Richards, and many others. After 85 years, The Breakfast of Champions is an American icon as athletes, sportscasters and consumers across the country continue to assert “Better Eat Your Wheaties” for championship performance.
To commemorate its 85th anniversary, the legendary “Breakfast of Champions” releases a special anniversary box that draws upon the cereal’s past, while looking to its future. The box features the iconic Wheaties logo and “Breakfast of Champions” slogan, but in a nod of what’s to come, the box showcases five athletes’ silhouettes, with the question “What’s Next?” written boldly right on the front of the package. The back of the box shows the date 09/09/09 – marking the timing of the Wheaties evolution with a new tagline that reads “Fuel. Win. Evolve.”
“Wheaties is an iconic American brand, synonymous with championship performance,” said Dan Stangler, marketing manager for Wheaties. “We have enjoyed 85 years of excellence and look forward to kicking off the next 85 years strong, with exciting news about the brand’s evolution.”
Wheaties first teamed up with athletes and the world of sports in 1933 with sponsorships of minor league baseball broadcasts. In fact, it was as part of a sponsored broadcast deal with the minor league Minneapolis Millers, that General Mills posted a signboard on the left field wall at Nicollet Park in south Minneapolis revealing the cereal’s new advertising slogan: “Wheaties—The Breakfast of Champions.” From that inauspicious beginning, Wheaties’ heritage has included many of the greatest athletes, celebrating many of the greatest athletic achievements of all time. Baseball legend Lou Gehrig was the first athlete featured on a Wheaties Box, when he appeared on the back cover in 1934. In 1958, American champion pole-vaulter Bob Richards was the first person to appear on the front of the package, jumpstarting the phenomenon of “being on the Wheaties box.”
The Minnesota Twins were the first team to appear on the front of the box in 1987, and it was the Chicago Bulls’ championship in 1992 that Wheaties first celebrated in a different way with a red and black box. In all, more than 50 teams have made appearances on the Wheaties box.
While Wheaties has recognized champion athletes for generations, the brand itself has also made history. Wheaties is credited with the first singing radio commercial, “Have You Tried Wheaties,” crooned by the Wheaties Quartet in the mid-1920s. On August 29, 1939, Wheaties sponsored the first televised commercial sports broadcast of a baseball game for some 500 owners of television sets in New York City.
For more information on Wheaties and its evolution, visit Wheaties.com and Wheaties.com/evolution.
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